The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-15


brave as the men. and there was little loud cry
Ing except by those who were pinned
down. An officer of the second police saw the
head Of a woman pulled out, and by breaking
the wood work by heels and stones. and anything
they could lay their hands on in the absence of
axes or other implements, the workers finally
succeeded in pulling out the body.
In another instance the body of a
woman was pulled out OF. the wreck
minus one arm. Another Investigation resulted
in the finding of the missing limb He also saw
the body of man pulled out minus both legs
and further search resulted in the discovery of
the legs 1t seemed as If these members had
been pulled from the body.
Many scenes similar to those described above
might be pictured. The wreck was horrible in
the extreme. end one of the very worst in the
annals OF railroading.
The Splintered Train and Broken Bridge
BosToN, March 1.-THE wreck, as it lies,
makes more appalling ruin than that of any
recent disaster. At Dserfeld. White River
Junction and other scenes of horror fire wiped
ont all the ruins that were not indesrructible,
but not so this time. There lies the great trough
nearly filed with torn, twisted. crushed and
splintered railroad property. An adequate de-
scription of the shapeless mass is simply impos-
sible OF the nine cars which formed the train
six in the crt The first No. 500, lies minus
its trucks. near the track, about four hundred
feet from the nearest bridge abutment 1t Was
the truck of this car that went wrong
first. but the occupants were not hurt, being only
shaken up. just back of this car is No 1e, the
second car of the train This car was swept
from it's trucks and its rear was crushed in by
she car following. Car No. 49, the third Of the
srain, is the emhankmeut, badly democrat
:xed I'm efaip copavsl shapa Tho M Scan-
gers in this car were badly shaken up, but there
were serious casualties among them. This
ear lies partially on its side, about
one hundred feet from the chasm. Next
came car No. 81. 1t is doubtful il
anyone escaped from this car alive. The bridge
entirely gave way before it reached the inward
side, but the momentum of the train and the
strength of the couplings carried it nearly over
the chasm. 1t dropped just before it reached
the abutment, and the body of the car dashed
against the solid stone wall The force of the
shock shot the roof forward so that it cleared
the chasm and slid along the rails its full length
The body of the car was literally ground to
pieces. and the bits of wood, iron and human
bodies were strewn on the road beneath. form.
ing the foundation of the wreck Those who
examined the wreck could find no distinct trace
In the ruins of this car which could be identified.
The only proof that it had existed was the fact
that there were plainly nine carroofs at diffe r
ent points and it followed, of course, that nine
cars had been wrecked, though it was possible
to trace but eight. The cars which lie in the
chasm form pile of wreckage 400 feet long by
by 100 feet wide. The road beneath crosses at
such a sharp angle that all tho cars were divert
ed on striking the opposite abutment,
into general position parallel with
the street and the abutments. Most of
the casualties were IL cars 81, so and "a, re-
spectively. the fourth. fifth and sixth the
train, and the frs. second and third of those
which went int ne chasm. Car No "a lies In a
heap of splinters, with sides and roof broken 10.
The stove cid not break its fastenings, but was
broken coove the crate. The fire.. however,
was extinguished. Car No. so lies partly on car
No 81, unroofed, and with every seat gone.
- Several of the killed and wounded persons were
taken from this This stove remained firmly
fixed and no fire escaped. Car No. 81 is prac
tically demolished, while No. 50 lies almost in
tact upon the ruins Many persons were IN
jured in these cars. and but few were killed
Back of them is the upturnec wreck OF the
smoking-car only a corner of which remains
The whirled upside down as it half fell from
the embankment. Scarcely any of its occupants
escaped injury, and policeman Labor and one OF
swo others were killed.
The bridge where the accident occurred wa.
built in July. 1876. 1t was 104 feet in length,
and twenty feet in height, and spanued the road
resting on heavy stone walls. The grade of the
road is very heavy. and there is a sharp curve
where the bridge crosses the highway. The lat
ter runs diagonally under the bridge, and the
aAutments upon which the structure rests are
set at a sharp angle. The bridge was designed
for double track, but only a single tracl
crosses it now, and the experts cannot under
stand how both trusses were carried down wheI
the bearing comes upon only one. Mr. Manley
of the city engineers Office, made careful in
spection of the bridge soon after it mad fallen
He said there was apparent reason for its civ
ing way. or for the breaking of the iron work
1t seemed as if some force had drawn it for
ward and thrown 1t from its bearings
D. H. Davis, OF the Boston e. Providence rail
way, considered one of the best railroad men il
the country, expressed a similar opinion.
A Mr. Blaisdel, who crossing from thu
first to the second car just AS the train strucl
the bridge, says he observed broken iourna
hanging down. This would account for carrying
the whole bridge off the abutments bad flaw
has been found near the end of twelveir
truss which rests few feet above the debris
It shows a diagonal fracture of the iron twelv
inches long. of which eight inches is black witt
rust while the rest of the fracture is fresh
The first sign of violence to the is upon tn
wood work of the second truck of the first car
A violent blow from underneath fractured
4xl0-inch etmber. the framework of tn
truck Midway between the rails and be
tween the two axles The blow lifted tn
truck from the track and derailed the cal
Engineer White says that III going acros
the bridge he felt a shock which he though
might have been caused by broken axle This
however, could not possibly have been the frs
cause of the accident, for the trucks of the frs
two cars ara in good condition, except as regard
the point above mentioned The only remain
ing possible cause is a broken rail- 1t is doubt
full If any examination this point would r.
suit satisfactorily, for there many of thei
twisted and broken.
ba kr,S oha 80, ~ a..
aster was heartrendng. In one place seven bod
les taken out were placed in a row. All wer
badly mangled. Large numbers of women wer
on the train and many were to be seen in tn
ruins. One woman was cut completely in TIVE
the upper half only being found. Two men WIN
were ga we'd had their faces hacked. and tho liz